The Westfield Police Department is planning to build a new headquarters, although an exact location remains under wraps due to ongoing negotiations.
WPD Chief Joel Rush said the city has budgeted just more than $1 million in the 2023 budget for the pre-design and schematic design of the building, which is being led by Dewberry, a Fairfax, Va.-based planning, design and construction firm, and Cripe, an Indianapolis-based architectural firm. Rush said officials remain on schedule and are entering the schematic design phase of the project.
Currently, the police department is housed at the Westfield Public Safety building at 17535 Dartown Rd., that it shares with the Westfield Fire Department However, that agency plans to move to its new fire station headquarters at the southeastern corner of 171st Street and Ditch Road starting in August.
The new police department headquarters will be 50,000 square feet and will be designed to be expanded up to 80,000 square feet, according to Rush. The building will be situated on approximately 10 acres and will house the city’s informatics data center, he added.
The overall size of the building was based on a projection from Dewberry, which looked at the agency’s staffing and the city’s population by 2050, he added.
“We want to build it right, we want to build it one time,” Rush said. “We want the building to be a reflection of who we are and what we care about.”
Chris Proffitt, city spokesman for Westfield, said the city has a location it is considering, but could not provide further details due to negotiations tied to the matter. Rush said the city is considering one site at this time but noted that officials have looked at others in Westfield.
Rush said the building will be designed with work areas promoting collaboration, while officials are also planning a shared community room in the space that can be used for training and events.
Wellness and decompression areas will also be available for police officers to use, he added. The agency also plans concrete safety barriers to provide secure vehicle access for police officers, which Rush said isn’t currently available at its current location.
Rush said he and Assistant Police Chief Scott Jordan have conducted tours of other police departments in Illinois and Indiana that are similar in size to Westfield. The city has sent out requests for qualifications and proposals to construction firms, which are due back by July 26.
The RFQPs that are submitted to the city will be evaluated and scored, according to Rush. The cost of the building hasn’t been determined yet and likely won’t be known until it selects a construction firm, he added.
However, he said his agency has budgeted about $1 million for 2024 that will be for construction design and documentation work tied to the project.
“We’re hoping to begin construction in the latter half of 2024,” Rush said, noting that he hopes work would be completed in 2025.
